One of the most interesting developments in film in the last few years is the rise in the importance of China and the particular issues with releasing movies there. It’s fast becoming one of the biggest markets on the planet, but China’s laws mean only a handful of foreign movies can be released there each year. One way around that is to make your film a Chinese co-production, which is how Cloud Atlas is getting released in China (normally it’s only Hollywood’s biggest movie that are brought out in the country).
However Chinese audiences are getting a rather different version of the movie than the one audiences elsewhere have seen. Producers Grant Hill and Philip Lee told The Wrap, “We were unaware that our Chinese partners, Dreams of Dragon Pictures, had cut almost 30 minutes from the film. We did know that, as with other countries, there were likely to be censorship trims and we trusted them to protect the integrity of the filmmaker’s creativity and vision.”
Dreams of Dragon Pictures provided just over $10 million of the $100 million budget.
According to E!, the bits removed “included sex scenes featuring both gay and straight characters, as well as violent set pieces.” However it’s not immediately clear if other elements of the relationship between Robert Frobisher (Ben Whishaw) and Rufus Sixsmith (James D’arcy) have been altered.
Including homosexuality in movies is not unheard of in China, although it can cause issues with the censors and is seen as box office poison.
Co-director Lana Wachowski doesn’t seem that impressed, commenting at the premiere, “It sucks really, but I believe you can watch the full version online.” It was a jab at both the decision to severely cut the movie, as well as China’s rampant piracy problem.
Leave a Reply (if comment does not appear immediately, it may have been held for moderation)